Apparatus for separating or concentrating ores.



D. COLE.

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING 0R CONCENT RAHHG ORESJ APFUCAHON FILED AUG\3I I9I5.

Patented Apr; 17, 1917.

2 SHEETS -SHEET l- Ju 11211 Top 27M @080 QMJMWMQD l]. COLE.

APPARA US FOR SEPARATING 0H CUNCENTHAHNG (IRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 3L E9115 1,223,033.

Patented Apr. 17, 191".

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

nsvm com, or MORENGI, ARIZONA, nssrenon, BY unsmz: ASSIGNMENTS, r 11mm, nncovsmr commm; or AUGUSTA, MAINE, A oom'ons'n'm' or name.

nrnaurus ron SEPABATINQ: on concmwrnarnw onus.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, DAVID Gone, a citizen of the United States, residingat Morenci, in 'the county fGreenlee and State of Arizona, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Separating or Concentrating Ores, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings. v This invention relates to hydraulic classification, separation, and concentration of ores and the like by what is known as the flotation method and more particularly to that process known as froth-ing classification. In accordance with the last-named process the mat rial to be separated or classified, in a suitably reduced or comminuted condition, together with a suitable-amount of water and usually also with certain other materials, such as oils, acids and the like, forming what is known as pulp, is introduced into a suitable tank into'the lower art of which air in 'a finely divided state is admitted throughasuitable porous or perforated medium. Said air passesthrough the tank in-the form of numerous streams p of finebubbles, carrying with them the finer particles of the ore or other material, .and'

80 forming afroth in the upper portion of said tank,the coarser particles findin their way "to the bottom of the tank and eing withinto the tank at a suitable"rate,;the froth is to suck down and carry away the bubbles,"

all of which, in order to secure proper opera- 5 tion, should be allowed to pass reely up- Speciflcation of Letters Patent.

'ent invention has for i! s objects to overcome form of apparatus emb odyin the invention. tank, which froth, together-with said finer particles, is discharged :at-the top of thedrawn therefrom. The: process isu'sually carried on continuously, the pulp flow-mg with its contentof finer material-beingcom tinuously discharged at the top, and thel "13 preferably provided with a .jdefleetor 14:

bottom of the tank and also" walls ofg-air chambers 17 into w h Paton ted Apr. 17, 1917.

' Application illed August 3, 1915. Serial No. 43,443.

\vardly through the liquid in the tank. In the second place the ciarser material tends to settle upon the porous medium thereby obstructing the admiss on of air. 'lhe presthe above difliculties aid to provide a frothing classifier which wil permit the thorough and even aeration oi the liquid without clogging the porous mediunr by sediment accumulating thereon, and which, at the same time,-p'rovides hr the efficient withdrawal of theliquid 111d coarser material with a minimum tendc ncy to interfere with the free upward passage of the bubbles.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention, together with means whereby the same may be carried i1 .toefi'ect, will best be; understood from the following description .of certain forms or imbodiments thereoffillustrated in the accc mpanying drawingsit 'of'appa'ratus, taken on the line 2--2, ne

'Fig. 3' is a fragments ry section on the 3--3, Fig. 2."

Fig.4 is an en a detail Sectionfl View --of'one of the air chambers shown in Fig. 2

and associated parts. p

Fig. 1, 12 denotes a" Referring firstv to tank of any suitable form or size int'o whicht' the pulp'is discharged through a feed pipe,

which causes the streamvto be" broken [up and spread out into a whirl sheet in order to, prevent the! formation )f violent currents the tank..2f'-Said tank l2 is provided at" bottom with an outlet pr discharge openin" inthe form of a slot 15 extendin across'sub stantially the entire l ottomb said tai Adjacent'the slot 15 :s aipair of inolin and downwardlyjcomn r 'ng plates 16 composed of porous matenla such, for example,

as carboruhdum, said plates forming" pressed airis admittec'l through {if I part of The air from the chambers 1 7 passes through the porous plates 16 and; u wardlythrough the liquid in the tank '12 in t e form of numerous streams of finebubbles which carry with them the finer particles of ma: terial in said ta'nk a bubble or froth column which overflows into a launder 19 arranged to discharge the froth with its content of fine material at any suitable point, The wa-' with the coarser material ter, together the bottom of the tank 12 and ravitates to *is discharged through the slot s.

i for the bubbles to It will be seen that the outlet "15 i located at a somewhat lower level than that at which the greater portion of the air-is in troduced into the tan so that the tendency be drawn downwardly into the outlet isveryslight. Moreover the elongated slot gentle and even downward passage of the water without' the formation of a vortex, so that the tendency for the-downward cur-I rent to' overcometheupward movement of the bubbles is, further minimized. Further-- 1 more by the inclined arrangement of the plates 16 collect-ion of sediment on these plates and consequent clogging of the air orifices is prevented.

On account, however, of 'theinclined a1- rangement of the plates 16, resulting in a difference in elevation of 'di'flerent parts thereof, and a consequent difference of hydrostatic pressure at different points, there would a tendency, were'these plates of constant thickness throughout, for the air to pass through'said plates in greatvolume from top to bottom,

suili'cient to compensate air passes through said 7 1 facility and in equa'l quantities throughout est quantities at points of least hydrostatic pressure, namely, atfthe upper edges of .the

', plates. To compensate for this and provide for even aeration of the liquid by causing the air to pass through said plates in equal said plates are formed slightly taperingor Wedge-shaped in cross-section, with their thickest'por'tio'ns atfthe top, the difference in thickness between the upper and lower edgesb'eing just for'or balance the difference in hydrostatic pressure, so that the their area. I

In the apparatus shown. in 2 m4,

asin that-above described, the tank'20 is with a feed pipe 21, andprovide'd'at its top v at its bottom with an outlet slot 22' extending substantially completelythereacross.

Said bottom comprises twosections con-' v'e'r il'ig downwardly to the slot 22, each of sai sections being provided'with a seriesof elongated air chembers ortubes '23 arrangedin stepped relationship to one another and having closed under sides. The top of each chambers'23 is formed porous the pulp and form in the upper pass f several chambers, so as 'even and thorough aeration of the liquid in which constitutes the outletl5 is'of a sufficient area to provide for a slow,-;

-bubbles downwar ly.

lates' with equal "at different levels and bein arranged at plate 24, said plates being preferably in-I in the general direction ofthe-inclination, of the corresponding bottom 24 are made slightly clined, as shown,

section. ,iSa'id plates wedgehaped in cross section to compensate for difference in hydrostatic pressure, due to their inclination,

through, themthroughout their area, plained. Compressed each of the chambers the air pressure in in equal volumes air is admitted. to 23 through a pipe 25, the several chambers of each series fbein successively greater from top to bottom 0 the series in -order to compensate for .difierence in hydrostatic pressure dueto'. difference in elevation .of' the tho-tank, v

The ste ped arrangement ofthe porous plates, an also-the inclined position of each of said plates, prevents any considerable accumulation of sediment on said plates tending to interfere with. the proper passage -of airtherethrough. I paratus first described, it will be seen that located at a' -lower level.

Moreover as in the apthe outlet slot-22 is than-thut at which the ai is'introduced into to provide for an,

so as to cause air to as heretofore ex I .75;

the tank, and is of a-fvrm 'to provide-for a v slow, gentle and even'downwardpassage of water without the'fo'rmationfof, a vortex, so that the-tendency" rentto overcome Below the slot/22 the ends of the outlet member 26 converge downwardly, as .indicated at 260, f0 a hopper communicating with a, discharge pipe 28 adapted to convey the tailing to. any desired point 'By this construction it will be seen that the through theslot 22 is retarded, thereby further minimiz'in Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent':- a

"1.,In a porous medium through which air isjadmitted to'said tank, 'ing arranged-With diifeient portions thereof thicknesses at the several leve s respectively. 2. In a frothingblassifie'r, means for admitting 'air means comprising a-series of air composed of porous platesarranged with difle'rent'portions thereof at different levelsand of different thicknesses at the several levels respectively, and means for-supplying air to the several chambersat difierent' pres sures respectively, j 3. In a frothing classifier, a' tank and anforthe downward cur-' he upward movement of .the bubbles is verys'light.

hav ng in' its bottom a restricted discharge opening, 27

downward flow ofmaterial frothing classifier, a.-tanlt, and a j 115 said'p'orous' medium beof di'ilerent a tank andto said tank-said; chambers different levels and having topsthe tendency to suck the I.

its

5. In a frothing classifier, a tank having a bottom provided with an elon 'ated slot extending thereacros's and means or admitting air to said tank in the form of bubbles at different levels above the level of said slot, said means being constructed and arranged to cause the admission of air in constant volume at all levels.

(3. In a frothing classifier, a tank having an inclined bottom and an air chamber beneath said bottom, said bottom comprising a porous medium of different thickness at different depths. i 7. In afrothing classifier, a tank having :1 bottom comprising two downwardly converging sections and means for adniitting air to said tank through said sections.

8. In a frothing classifier, a tank having a bottom comprising two downwardly converging sections including inclined wedge-' side, said porous body shaped rous admitte to sai tank.

9. In a frothing classifier, a tank having a bottom comprising two downwardly converging sections and having an elongated slot extending th areacrossbetween sai sec- -tions, and means for admitting air to said tank throu b said sections.

10. In a rothi1 lg classifier, a tank having a bottom comprising two downwardly converging sections including. orous media, and airchambers beneath said sections from said. porous media. v I

v In an orejc ancentratmg apparatus of the flotation type, a trough-shape ,solutionwhich air is adm .tted to said tank through containing tank having" inclined sides, a

aced from each side er adjacent to each decreasing in thickness from top to bottom, and means for admitting a fluid llldel pressure into said chambers, said porous body adapted to disseminate the fluid and deliver same in nuporous body therein s to form an air (ham merous fine bubbjes'into the solution contained in the tankto fr'othing of same. In testimony whereof I afiix my slgna- DAVID COLE.

cause agitation ture.

ates through which air is 

